Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, who is challenging Representative Ed Towns in a primary this year, is fund-raising off his work fighting the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy.

In an email to supporters today, Jeffries' field director, Andre Richardson, writes that the tactic is a "humiliating, degrading experience and a violation of our civil rights."

"I should know," Richardson writes. "It happened to me."

The email links to twoNew York Timesstories about Jeffries' work on the issue, and answers the implicit question of what exactly Jeffries would do at the federal level on an issue that's considered mostly a state and local concern.

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"In Congress, Hakeem will work closely with the U.S. Justice Department to make sure that local law enforcement has the resources available to maintain public safety while simultaneously respecting our cherished constitutional rights," Richardson writes.

Stop-and-frisk could be a big issue in the congressional district, which is predominantly African-American. The policy ends up mostly targeting young black and Latino males.